Maniac
by lamar-k2
Summary: What happens when the fearless leader of Brooklyn and a girl who simply doesn't care are forced to sell together? Certainley not love...
1. The Beginning

__

"How can you say that?! How can you say to my face, that my sister, my goddamn only sister that has been gone for two days is fine?! She could be hurt! She could be lyin' in a damn ditch right now, she could be beaten up, raped, she could be DEAD, dammit!" the boy shouted at his father. 

_"She'll be fine, I didn't name her Maniac for nothing, boy." the Father replied with a wave of his hand. This only seemed to anger the boy. _

_"You-" he jabbed a finger at his father accusingly, tears filling his eyes, his voice shaking. "Did NOT name her. You don't even care what happens to her!! All you want is for her to get out of here! You don't care! You never cared!"_

_"I care fine, boy. And It'll do you fine ta know that I did come up with that name," the father replied. "You really have no right to say those things to me, you know."_

_The boy turned to leave, but the father stopped him. "Where you goin, boy?"_

_"I'm gonna find her." he replied hotly. "She's still my sister even if she's not your daughter." He turned to the door, and saw the girl standing there, her face white, her mouth dropping a little bit. _

_"Maniac," he said. She shook her head. _

_"Not...not your daughter?" she whispered. She seemed to be waiting for something...for someone to say they were just kidding, for her father to take her in his arms and say he loved her. But neither of those things happened. She looked down, a look of understanding coming upon her face. _

_"You didn't know my birthday," she said softly. "You thought it was in November" she was breathing faster now, and tears were stinging her eyes. The Father took a step forward. _

_"Your mother," he started, but was cut short by her shout. _

_"I don't wanna hear it!" she screamed. She backed away, slowly then turned and broke into a run. She down the stairs, her brother shouting after her, her so-called-father saying "oh, Let 'er go, I never liked her anyway,"_

_I never liked her anyway,_

_She's still my sister even if she isn't your daughter. _

_Even if she's not your daughter._

_Not your daughter. _

**Not Your Daughter. **

*

"Wake up call ladies!!" Laces Frells shouted, pounding the fireplace pipes with a shoe. Moans and groans filled the Upper Manhattan Newsgirls Lodging House, but one voice, the voice belonging to Maniac Magee said nothing. She had bolted upright from her dream, sweat falling around her forehead, her hands so tightly around her blanket her knuckles were white. In an instant, Laces was next to her, kneeling down, a sly grin plastered across her face. 

"Rise 'n shine dearie! It's ass-whoopin' time!" she said brightly. Maniac groaned and flopped back on her side. 

"I'm not cooking." she said firmly. 

"Oh, Maniac, knife in my heart!" Laces said, sounding as if she was genuinely hurt. 

"Look, I don't care if we have to have a stinkin' treaty with these boys, I am still not cooking." Maniac went on. 

"Turning, turning, turning," Laces continued, putting a hand on her heart as if she was in pain.

"I also don't care if we have a stupid kitchen that half of New York would kill for," Maniac groaned. 

"AN AX!" Laces screamed wildly. "It's turned into an ax!"

Maniac stared her straight in the eye, scowling. Finally, she sighed. 

"Laces, honestly why couldn't you have just put me in decorations with the rest of them?" she moaned. 

"Because I wanted to see what our little Maniac girl could do with a knife," Laces said sweetly, pinching her cheek. "Now get up!! All the stuff's down in the kitchen already along with the recipes." and with that, she bounced off to go get ready for the day. 

"I was the first one to JOIN this lodging house!!" Maniac shouted after her. "And this is the thanks I get?!"

She rolled out of bed, muttering things to herself. Oh, honestly. Just because they had Lil' newsboy neighbors in Manhattan, Laces had gotten some wack idea that her girls and their guys went together like paper and glue. So her and the leader of the newsboys, Jack Kelly had formed up a plan. 

On Christmas Eve, The Newsgirls would meet the Newsboys. Laces and Jack had each picked someone from their lodging house, and each of them was instructed to buy a small gift for their partner. Then, on Christmas Eve, the boys would come to the girl's lodging house, meet their partner, exchange gifts, eat the dinner the girls would make, then have a night out with their partner. And if that wasn't enough, they had to sell with that person for two whole weeks. 

"Mornin', Maniac!" Legend called to Maniac as she stumbled into the washroom. 

"Hey Ledge," Maniac said.

Hailing from Athens, Greece, Legend got her nickname from the hilarious Legends and Myths she told the girls. She stood at about 5'8, with sandy blond hair that was cut just below her shoulders. She had olive-colored skin, brown eyes, a small nose and dark, dark eyelashes and eyebrows. She wore a white undershirt and a dark blue shirt, with black pants. Always in a good mood, Legend definately took the prize of the happiest girl at the scariest hour. 

"Where's the soap?!" Hands shouted, coming into the washroom. "I cant find any soap anywhere!" she complained, waving her hands around like a lunatic. 

Hands was from Jersey, and she ran away because her parents couldnt afford to feed her. She was named cause of her elusive hand motions she always used when talking. She was pretty short, 5'4 at the highest, with brown hair, green eyes, and pale pink lips. She had brown pants and a bright green shirt, with a black newsies hat. 

Then came Scribbles and Stars. Twins from Georgia, these two shared everything. Scribbles was 5'7, with jet black hair that went down her back and hazel eyes. Stars was 5'6, with golden hair that was cut just below her ears. She usually had it in pigtails, sticking out in ever direction. She had amazing blue eyes that stared right into your soul. Scribbles loved to write, while Stars had a passion for anything that had to do with the outside. They both wore Black pants and light blue shirts. 

Lucky Seven was still sleeping, snoring quietly. Named for her addiction to gambling, she usually stayed out until one or two in the morning, then would sleep until nine or ten. With red hair and brown eyes, she stood at about 5'9, pretty tall for only her age of 15. Usually she wore Dark blue jeans with a light orange shirt and a white undershirt. 

Smoothie was already showering. This girl was so smooth, she talked her way out of anything and everything. Except when it came to chores around the LH. she had hair that was so blond it was white and pale lips, with light blue eyes. She wore a plain outfit, light blue jeans and a bright yellow shirt. 

Sneakers was downstairs, getting boxes and boxes of Christmas decorations out with Brick. These two did everything together, no matter what. Sneakers got her name for how quiet she could sneak around, while Brick was named after...well, nobody really knew. Loud and obnoxious, Brick was exactly the opposite of Sneakers, who always stayed in the shadows. Both were around 5'3, with blue eyes and brown hair. Sometimes people mistook them for sisters. Both had brown pants, while Sneakers wore a red shirt and Brick wore a peach colored one. 

More girls poured into the washroom. Bubbles, with her giggly attitude towards life, Flaim with her bright red hair, Cotton, with the cotton clothes she valued dearly, Dreaymer, with her head in the clouds, Treble, with her musical talent, Bug, Print, Hazard, candy-cane and the youngest of them all, Lines. 

Laces was already downstairs, humming a Christmas tune to herself. Her curly brown hair bounced all around her face, hitting her shoulders at just the right place, complementing her rosy-red cheeks and dark eyelashes that shaded her piercing green eyes that stared at you importantly. It was her whole manner, the way she held herself, the way she walked, that told everyone she was in charge. Laces had come from Ireland with a family of a brother and a sister. On the boat, her brother got the measles and died, and her sister ran away shortly after they reached America. Laces wandered around for a few years before coming to this Lodging house. It was in the process of being built for newsgirls all around. She talked her way into it, and soon she owned it.

And now, if you had to pick a real character of the Lodging House, it would be Maniac. 

Maniac Magee.

They say she ran the whole way to New York from Maine. They say it only took her two days. They say that her father killed her mother and brother then went after her. And Everybody knows she can't turn down any dare, ever. That's how she got her name. When she first came to New York, she told everybody her name was Lindsay, but within days people had named her Maniac again. 

Maniac was, the most uncaring person perhaps anybody had ever met. She didn't care what people thought, she didn't care what they said, she just didn't care. Of course, if you asked anybody who the most popular and respected newsie in that Lodging House was, immediately they'd respond "Maniac, of course. What are ya, an idiot?" But even with all that fame, never once inside the lodging house, or out did anyone claim to be Maniac's friend. But that didn't bother Maniac at all, in fact it seemed, Like she couldn't care less. 

Sure, she was friendly with all the girls, and they were friendly back, but nobody seemed to know her well enough to claim to be her friend. 

Maniac was about 5'5, with a slender profile that probably came from running so much. She had brownish/blond hair and ice cold eyes, reflecting her silent hate for the world. 

You could usually find her running around somewhere, doing some ridiculous dare, meeting new people, and her new favorite thing to do, get in trouble. She liked to bug the bulls just to see how much crap they would take from her. And she liked too mooch change off anybody just to see how much she could get. 

Maniac finished washing up and threw on her clothes. Old, ragged brown pants that were a little too long for her and frayed at the bottom from how much she stepped on the as she ran, and a white undershirt with a white overshirt that stretched past her hands and her waist. Again, her outfit said: Uncaring.

Maniac headed downstairs to the kitchen, where she met up with Legend, Hands and Lucky Seven, who all looked either very sad or very tired. 

"Maniac make her stop!" Legend cried the moment she walked in. "I don't know how to cook!!" she wailed. "I never cooked in my life!!" 

"Neither have i!" Hands added. "I don't even want a date I'm happy SINGLE!!" she moaned. 

"I used to cook at a restaraunt so relax" Seven said. "I know how to make all of this stuff."

"At least someone knows how" Maniac said. "I sure don't." 

"Well, Maniac, you get out the flour the sugar and all the dry ingredients," Seven instructed. "Legend, get the wet ones like the eggs and the milk. Ill get everything else, and hands-you help Maniac, until five, then start the fire underneath the stove over there. There's some stuff to help it burn better next to it, just squirt a little on and light a match and boom-theres yer fire," she said. Everyone started doing what they were told to. After a few hours, Hands tried to start a fire. 

"Maniac come help me start the fire!!" Hands said. Maniac balanced the flour bag in one arm and went next to Hands. 

"Didja put the fluid stuff on?" she asked. 

"A little," hands said. 

"Here, try more," Maniac grabbed the bottle and dumped half of it on the logs. She took the match Hands offered her and lit it, throwing it in fireplace. Immediately the fire was blazing. Maniac grinned smugly and wiped the dust off her hands. 

"MANIAC!!" Hands screamed. "YOUR ARM IS ON FIRE!!" Maniac looked down and saw that sure enough, her right sleeve was on fire. 

"Get it out!! Get it out!!" she shouted, jumping up. Hands picked up the flour and attempted to get it on her arm, but ended up throwing it all over her face too. Legend grabbed a pot and began to swipe at Maniac's arm. She hit it with a bang, causing Maniac to howl in pain. 

"I'VE GOT IT!!" Seven shouted. She ran to Maniac with a bucket of ice-cold water and threw it at her arm. The flames went out and Maniac collapsed on the floor, holding her arm. Everyone was pretty stunned. Suddenly, Maniac started crackin up laughing. 

"I just set my arm on fire!" she said. "That was pretty stupid and now i think it's going to fall off," she rolled up her burned sleeve, her arm was red from the burn. 

"Oops" she shrugged. "Oh well. Where were we?" 

"Maniac. You just got your arm burnt to a crisp. I think maybe more then an 'oh well' might be necessary right about now," Hands said. "Lets take you to Laces." 

They dragged her up the stairs to Laces room. Seven pounded on the door. 

"Maniac set herself on fire!" she said. In an instant Laces was at the door, looking confused. She saw Maniacs scorched arm and sighed. 

"Maniac, you are appropriately named." she said plainly. 

"I didn't mean to!" Maniac said in self-defense. 

"Well, come on. We've got burn medicine. Go lay down and I'll go get it. Seven, tell Cotton she's on the cooking committee," Laces said. "And hurry! The boys are coming in less then two hours!!" 


	2. Caught a Glimpse

Hey guys..um, first off, I want reviews! lol or I will kill someone important.like Spot or someone. I dunno. We can be creative though. I also want you guys to suggest stuff..what do you want to see happen in the story? With any of the characters, it doesn't matter. Be creative! Second, I understand the bridge part is a bit (a lot) farfetched, but as with most of the stuff Mani does, it's not really what it seems. wink wink (get it?) don't ask me to explain lol. And yeah, I have this super wicked awesome idea for another interactive story that I'll post tomorrow.so go check it out. Adios amigos!  
  
~~  
Two newsies stared at each other. Two, completely different, opposite newsies from the other side of the river. One was powerful, capable, strong, respected mostly out of fear. The other lighthearted, bound down to her past yet still free, respected for the fact that she was like nobody anyone had ever seen before. One glared while the other bit her nails, picking at the food that was so carefully prepared for them.  
  
"You know, you eh, you have a little something right there, in between your teeth," Maniac tapped her front teeth and blinked innocently at Spot. They hadn't spoken since the first, "Hi," at the door, when Spot had carefully looked Maniac over, as if appraising her while looking very unhappy indeed. She had rolled her eyes and told him to stop acting like she was a prize, and he had snapped back at her, and so it began.  
  
"And you could stand ta gain a little weight," he retorted, brushing his tongue over his teeth.  
  
"I could say the same to you," Maniac muttered under her breath.  
  
"What?!" Spot snapped.  
  
"I said--"  
  
"Maniac!" Laces said from behind her, smiling at Spot falsely through gritted teeth. "Hey hun, can I talk to you?" without waiting for an answer, she yanked Maniac from her chair and dragged her across the room.  
  
"Ow, ow, ow!" Maniac protested, jerking her burnt arm away from Laces. "What?!"  
  
"Do you have any idea what you're doing?" Laces hissed, trying to keep her voice low.  
  
"Eating dinner with a really dull and not understandably arrogant guy?" Maniac offered.  
  
"No!" Laces snapped, hitting her arm again. Maniac held it close to her and scowled.  
  
"That dull guy--" Laces jabbed a finger in Spot's direction, "happens to be the most powerful newsie in Brooklyn! You are supposed to be charming!" she said, aggravated.  
  
Maniac rolled her eyes. "What is this about, Lace? The stupid 'peace treaty'? Wanna make sure the boys stay on our side no matter what?"  
  
Laces sighed. "I like him, okay." she mumbled, barely audible.  
  
"You like Spot?" Maniac pulled a face. "And you want ME to be charming?"  
  
"No!" Laces protested. "I like Jack, alright? I mean, I really like him,"  
  
"Oh!" Maniac understood, smiling. "You really really like him, yeah?"  
  
"Look, Mani, I've been her for five years and I have not yet found any guy that I like as much as him. And Spot and him are like, best friends. If Spot doesn't have a good time, chances are I'm not going to see Jack again. So please just..." she sighed again. "Look, I'll let you off chores for two weeks if you're nice to him."  
  
"It's a done deal." Maniac replied immediately, sticking out her hand. Laces smiled with relief and shook it, giving Maniac one last "You-better- do- this- right" look before joining Jack at a different table, where she immediately started flirting.  
  
Maniac looked over at Spot, who was picking at his food sullenly, and sighed. She practiced smiling really quick and then walked back to him, sitting across from him.  
  
"Isn't this food great?" she asked brightly.  
  
He gave her a weird look and then shrugged. "It's fine."  
  
"Yes well," Maniac said, still beyond cheerful. "I just love these...potato things,"  
  
"I think I liked it better when you didn't talk," Spot replied.  
  
Maniac gritted her teeth and kept quiet. The couples were disappearing together, going to exchange gifts, hang around the city, or for the ones who had really hit it off, to find some privacy.  
  
"You wanna leave?" she asked suddenly.  
  
"I would LOVE to leave," Spot replied, taking it as an invitation.  
  
"Great. Too bad I have to come with you, right?"  
  
Spot glared. "Yeah, too bad."  
  
"Look, I don't want to do this any more than you want to but as soon as we leave the sooner we don't have to see eachother," she smiled oh-so-fake and they walked out of the room, barely hearing Jack and Laces talk about how great it was that they were getting along.  
  
"Yeah right," Maniac muttered under her breath.  
  
"What?" Spot asked.  
  
"Nothing!" She replied. "I didn't say anything."  
  
"Yeah you did!"  
  
"No I didn't! You're hearing things,"  
  
They stepped out into the freezing cold, both shivering. Without a word, they walked down the street and towards Brooklyn.  
  
"What's you name, anyway?" Spot suddenly asked, sounding annoyed.  
  
"Maniac," she replied slowly. "Like you didn't know,"  
  
"Where did you get stuck with such an ugly name?" he asked nastily.  
  
"Ha, where'd ya get stuck with such an ugly face?" she shot back sarcastically.  
  
"Let's just get this whole present thing over with." Spot grumbled. "What did you get me?"  
  
Maniac suddenly went very pale, although it was hard to tell in the dark of the night. She opened her mouth to speak, but luckily she was saved by Hands and her guy, Kid Blink, running up to them, laughing and almost slipping on the ice.  
  
"Mani!" Hands cried, holding onto Blink. "Hey, the Bridge is totally frozen over. We've got a 10 to 1 bet you won't do it,"  
  
"10 to 1? Those odds are terrible! Someone's gonna loose a lot of money," Maniac said with a smile.  
  
"You're gonna do it! Great!" Hands squealed, jumping up and down. Even Blink looked excited.  
  
"Do what?" Spot asked finally out of curiosity. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Nothing you would care about," Maniac said with a wave of her hand. "Look, you can leave, It's fine. I'll send over your gift tomorrow."  
  
"No, no, I think I want to see this," Spot smirked, just going to annoy her.  
  
"Fine. But don't pee your pants, it gets a little intense," she made a face and started walking with Hands and Blink. Her promise to Laces had been completely forgotten with the thrill of doing something daring and stupid.  
  
"You know, even for a girl, you're pretty half-witted," Spot said, catching up with them. Blink gave him a disapproving look but Maniac didn't look bothered at all. She opened her mouth to speak but Hands cut her off, afraid of what would happen if she did retort to Spot.  
  
"So I hear you're from Jersey, Spot," she said, smiling friendly.  
  
"Yeah, Jersey," he confirmed, looking at her smile and wishing he had gotten someone who looked as nice as her, instead of the psycho he was stuck with.  
  
"Maniac's from Maine," she said, trying to find some common ground the two could start from. "Isn't that near Jersey?"  
  
"No I'm not," Maniac replied suddenly, turning to face Hands. "Where'd you get that idea?"  
  
"You're not from Maine?" Hands replied, confused. "I mean, that's what everybody says."  
  
"Oh, well gee. If that's what everyone says." She shrugged, not saying anything else.  
  
Spot gave her a sideways glance. He could tell there was something she wasn't telling them, and if it was anybody else that he could stand he might have bothered to find out.  
  
And come to think of it, if it was anybody else he might have been able to find out. But there was something different about this Maniac girl; she seemed so...cold. Like somebody had just come and sucked out all the affection from her. She was there and she was smiling, but she didn't really care.  
  
He was lost in thought until they reached the bridge, where he was surprised to see just about all the newsies who were at dinner waiting. They cheered when they saw Mani, and she grinned brightly.  
  
"Well I've never done this while it's frozen over, so if I die I expect you all to take your bet money and at least give me a good funeral,"  
  
There was a muffled laugh from her audience, mostly from the girls. The guys were still kind of shocked that anybody, none the less a girl would go through with what they were saying she would.  
  
"And without further adieu," she muttered, hoisting herself onto the railing of the bridge.  
  
"Oh my god, what is she doing?" Spot asked Hands.  
  
"Watch." she replied with a smirk.  
  
And he did, along with the rest of the group.  
  
Slowly she sat on the railing and untied a small rope, about a foot long that was covered in frost and cracked in her hands. She grasped it tightly and then put it around the cable running up the bridge. She took a deep breath and then pushed off with her legs, hanging there off the bridge, with just a small rope to hold her.  
  
"What is she DOING?!" Spot shouted again, taking a step forward. "Get back here! You're going to die!"  
  
Maniac didn't even flinch. She slowly worked her way down the cables a few feet, until she could easily reach the stone archway. She put her feet on it and started to climb down. Everyone was quiet, most clinging onto each other as they watched her.  
  
Finally, she was below the bridge and everyone crowded around to watch. She released her feet and then swung dangerously, once...twice...  
  
And she let go.  
  
The boys gasped, but the girls just smirked and started handing money to each other.  
  
"What the hell?!" Spot shouted at Hands. "What did she just do?!"  
  
"Don't yell at me," Hands rolled her eyes and took a few coins from Legend. "She's underneath the bridge. Two years ago for a dare she climbed underneath, and she does it every now and then to rake in a few bucks. She'll be up in a second,"  
  
Spot stood there, stunned. Never in his life had he seen anybody attempt to do what she did. Finally, there was a shuffle of noise from the side and Maniac reappeared, climbing over the railing.  
  
"How much did I get?" she asked, ignoring the stunned looks the boys were giving her.  
  
"Not enough. You're crazy!" Racetrack piped in, looking impressed.  
  
"Thank you dear," she said, pleased. "Seven?"  
  
"Close to ten dollars. You've gotta start doin' this where there's more crowds," Lucky Seven replied, fidgeting with the money and finally handing it over to Maniac, looking wistful.  
  
Maniac laughed and rubbed her hands against the front of her shirt. They were sore with the blisters from the rope.  
  
"That was...impressive," Spot commented to her. She gave him a sideways glance and shrugged. "How did you do that?"  
  
"Let's call it a night, yeah?" she said in reply. Spot scowled in return.  
  
"Fine. Here's your damn gift," he grabbed a small box from his pocket and tossed it at her, not sticking around to even make sure she caught or opened it.  
  
"I'll send yours over tomorrow," Maniac shouted after him, as he strutted down the ice path.  
  
She looked down at the small box in her hand and put it in her pocket. She'd look at it later. *  
  
Next chapter, affectionately called "Disenchanted" will be posted tomorrow (Tuesday the 17th) After that, "The Dreame" will be up..um, probably Sunday or Monday. I'm on Vacay with the fam until then. Then, "Never you mind," Will be up probably the Wednesday after that.if I get enough reviews. If not, its death to Spot! (haha that rhymed) After that, Im not quite sure, Ive got it written but it needs to be edited and such. Hey..anybody wanna be my beta reader blinks quite innocently eh, just review. Just do it, you heard me! (im serious about the reader thing, email me) 


	3. The Set Up You need this

*  
  
"And so then, I was like, 'They think we're nothin'! Are we nothin'?' and then they was all..." Jack trailed off as he caught the bored expression on Laces face. "You don't care, do you?" he asked, sounding apologetic.  
  
"Huh?" Laces asked, snapping back to attention. She twirled a piece of her curly hair in her finger and continued, "No, I mean yes, of course I care. Keep going," she urged him.  
  
"No, I don't want to make you fall asleep," he placed a hand on hers.  
  
"You won't," she giggled and smiled at him.  
  
"You want to know something even more interesting than that?" Jack asked her, leaning close.  
  
"Yeah," she grinned. "I do,"  
  
"I really like you,"  
  
"Yeah?" she questioned. "Like how much?"  
  
"Like...I'd walk the world over for just one blade of grass if you ask me to," Jack said with a lopsided grin.  
  
"That much, huh," Laces could hardly contain her smile. "That's good, because I like you too,"  
  
That seemed to be all Jack was waiting to hear. He pulled her into a kiss and backed against the wall, trying to take in as much as he could get.  
  
Laces pulled away after a few seconds, a mischievous look on her face. "You know," she started. "We're alone here, and I have my own room upstairs,"  
  
Jack nodded, and laughing she led him upstairs and into the concealment of her room.  
  
*  
Spot slammed the door to the Lodging House extra loud and glared at the creaky staircase. He could hear his friends upstairs, probably playing poker and having fun, like he would have been doing if he hadn't been stuck with that stupid dinner and that stupid girl.  
  
He stomped upstairs and into the bunkroom, glowering at everybody, just waiting for them to ask.  
  
Twitch, his best friend (if you used the term lightly) was the first one to dare to ask. "Well? How'd it go?" he asked cautiously.  
  
"HORRIBLE!" he shouted. "I got stuck with the most absolutely awful girl! Some stupid witch named Maniac! I hate-"  
  
"Wait," Twitch interrupted. "Maniac Magee?"  
  
"Yeah, her. She was so-"  
  
"I love that girl!" Twitch interrupted again. "She's so funny! Man, it's great you got to go with her. Did ya tell her I said hi?"  
  
"HOW COULD I?! I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW YOU KNEW HER!" Spot shouted. "AND I HATE HER!" he added, slamming his fist into one of the bunks in anger.  
  
Twitch shook his head. "That's too bad, man, she's a real firecracker, if ya know what I mean!" he laughed to himself.  
  
Spot stopped fuming and turned to Twitch. "No, no I don't know what you mean!" he shouted.  
  
"I mean, she's real different than most girls." Twitch started out carefully. "Did you know that her dad killed the rest of her family, but she escaped? But she just ran out of that house, in Maine, and ran and ran until she ended up here. And it only took her two days!" he whistled, and then in a low voice, ignoring the disbelieving look on Spots face, "They say, she never sleeps. That she just goes running every night until the crack of dawn, and then goes and sells. Isn't that crazy?"  
  
"It's bullshit, is what it is," Spot said, not sounding so sure himself.  
  
"No man, I heard it from a girl who lives with her," Twitch said. "And you know what else? She can't turn down any dare, ever. I wish I could be stuck selling with her. But from what I heard, she's not ever really devoted to actually selling. She'll sell a few papes and then just give away the rest. She's real neat, man," he shook his head, and seemed to be lost in thought.  
  
"You know, the real weird thing is, nobody's sure," one of the boys, Josh, finally said. "Nobody really knows anything...except for what they say," he shook his head and looked down at his hand of cards. "The only thing I know for sure, is that she's about the most mysterious person I've ever met. You can talk to her for a million hours and all you'll ever get out of it is maybe a hug, if you're lucky. I think she's afraid of people, even though the could get any guy she wanted to,"  
  
"You're both about as crazy as she is," Spot finally spat out. "She couldn't get anyone with half a brain, or two eyes that worked!" he angrily started off to his room, but a sing-song word or two from Twitch stopped him.  
  
"Bet you couldn't," He said, staring down at his book. The bunkroom went quiet, and those who hadn't already been listening started to.  
  
"Bet I couldn't what?" Spot asked, glaring at everyone watching him. Twitch was on dangerous ground, and they all knew it.  
  
"Get her. Bet you couldn't thrill that girl if your life depended on it. Bet she hates you, that's why you're so angry. Bet you were expecting someone you could just take home and do it with whenever you want, instead you got the greatest girl you could ever meet and you screwed it up, didn't you?"  
  
"No, I didn't like her from the beginning. And she is not all that she's cracked up to be, let me tell ya," he snapped.  
  
"I'll bet you a week's worth of papes that you couldn't get Mani to even touch you," Twitch said loudly.  
  
"That's all?" Spot smirked.  
  
"Yeah, you gotta sell with her, be with her for two weeks. Like yer supposed to,"  
  
Spot shook a finger accusingly at Twitch. "That's stupid. If I want to sell with her, It'll be because I like her, not you want me to," and with that, he went into his room and slammed the door furiously.  
  
"You know he'll do it," Josh muttered to Twitch when Spot had gone.  
  
"Oh I know," he said with a nod.  
  
Spot set his things down and caught a glimpse of his own reflection in the mirror. "I could do that if I really wanted to," he snarled, taking off his shirt and climbing into his bed, trying to stay warm underneath the cold sheets.  
  
He tried to put the thought of Maniac out of his mind as he concentrated on falling asleep, but the image of her, and all that he had heard about her sunk in his mind, even long after he had fallen asleep. 


End file.
